OT: Bright baby clothes?
Jan Heirtzler
despair! I would dearly love for my baby-to-be to be dressed in nice,
bright, primary colours... not the boring blue/pink/yellow/green pastels
that 99% of baby clothes tend to be. I have looked at many places over
the web to no avail -- even if they have bright clothes for toddlers,
there's still nothing besides pastels for babies. My mother suggested
Mothercare, as (when we lived in Canada) she was able to get such clothes
for us, but they don't seem to ship to the US. As a last resort, I will
happily dye my own clothes (along with the ones I sew), but would like to
have a few premade things, preferably in 100% cotton as well.
Does *anyone* have suggestions for online stores that might stock such
seemingly esoteric items? I can't be the only mother in the country who
doesn't like pastels! Also, the budget is a concern; while I would love
to spend $500+ on a baby wardrobe, our finances won't allow it... so as
darling as that $35 jumper may be, I won't be able to get it. I'm really
looking for things under $5-10/outfit (though that may in and of itself be
a pipe dream!).
Many thanks in advance,
Jan & wee one (due 24-5-2000)
****************** http://members.xoom.com/Rev_Jan/ ******************
* Jan Andrea Heirtzler * Better a bleeding heart than none at all. *
* aka j...@cisunix.unh.edu * Religious freedom means ANY religion. *
****** Proud Atheist since 1974 *** Dare to think for yourself! ******
H Schinske
>seemingly esoteric items? I can't be the only mother in the country who
>doesn't like pastels! Also, the budget is a concern; while I would love
>to spend $500+ on a baby wardrobe, our finances won't allow it... so as
>darling as that $35 jumper may be, I won't be able to get it. I'm really
>looking for things under $5-10/outfit (though that may in and of itself be
>a pipe dream!).
> Many thanks in advance,
> Jan & wee one (due 24-5-2000)
I don't know if it's possible on-line. Around here, many places have Cotton
Caboodle clothes on deep discount from time to time. Honest to Pete, your best
bet is secondhand stores. Since there *are* very few makers who use bright
colors for the very small, and there's a very high correlation (though not 100%
by any means) between "willingness to use bright colors in 0-12 month sizes"
and "high-quality cotton," it's easy to grab stuff off the rack.
Plus, if you score even a few items in the $2 or under outfit category (my kids
have many, many fifty-cent items!), it brings your average price WAY down, and
you can afford a few new expensive items.
--Helen
Suzanne Dallapè
>Does *anyone* have suggestions for online stores that might stock such
>seemingly esoteric items? I can't be the only mother in the country who
>doesn't like pastels!
I am so sorry I can't help you here, but no, you are NOT the only mother who
does not like pastels! For general clothes, Kmart and such have sweats in
various colors, though they might just be for 6 mo. and older babies. You
would have to take a look. I made a lot of my son's own clothes, so if you
are good with a sewing machine, this can be a cheap way to get whatever you
want! You would just buy up a bunch of solid knit fabric (or cut down old
shirts of yours!) and sew up several shirts, onesies, rompers, etc.,
assembly-line. (Cut three or four layers of fabric at the same time.) Or
as you said, just buy a lot of plain white things (or pale colors) and dye
them bright colors. I have to agree with you about the pastels--I guess
it's a cliche that babies have to be in soft colors. I had a boy last time,
but if the next one is a girl, I am dreading the influx of cute frilly
dresses from the relatives that all baby girls seem to get. Girls need
sweats too! What are ya gonna do about it?
--S.
JDal...@att.net
Rachel E Morton
for your baby?) My SIL knit a couple of cute outfits (a sweater/bootie
combo and a "playsuit") in beautiful bright colours for her new niece.
Just a thought,
Rachel
--
email: rmorton a t uoguelph d o t ca
Jan Heirtzler (j...@cisunix.unh.edu) wrote:
: I know this is pretty far off-topic for this group, but I am in
: despair! I would dearly love for my baby-to-be to be dressed in nice,
: bright, primary colours... not the boring blue/pink/yellow/green pastels
: that 99% of baby clothes tend to be. I have looked at many places over
: the web to no avail -- even if they have bright clothes for toddlers,
: there's still nothing besides pastels for babies. My mother suggested
: Mothercare, as (when we lived in Canada) she was able to get such clothes
: for us, but they don't seem to ship to the US. As a last resort, I will
: happily dye my own clothes (along with the ones I sew), but would like to
: have a few premade things, preferably in 100% cotton as well.
: Does *anyone* have suggestions for online stores that might stock such
: seemingly esoteric items? I can't be the only mother in the country who
: doesn't like pastels! Also, the budget is a concern; while I would love
: to spend $500+ on a baby wardrobe, our finances won't allow it... so as
: darling as that $35 jumper may be, I won't be able to get it. I'm really
: looking for things under $5-10/outfit (though that may in and of itself be
: a pipe dream!).
: Many thanks in advance,
: Jan & wee one (due 24-5-2000)
: ****************** http://members.xoom.com/Rev_Jan/ ******************
Bryn
hair and didn't look very good in pink, so trying to find clothes for her as
a baby was horrible! My suggestions are these: Mervyn's (Carter's brand
makes some primary colored stuff) Garanimals are primary colored and have
matching sweats, sweatshirts and onesies that are color-coordinated. The
Garanimals brand can be found at Walmart, and they are like, $4 each piece,
but don't expect them to hold up through more than one or two kids. (but
what do you expect?) Old Navy -if you can find the one in your area and ask
them when they put stuff on sale, GO THERE. I'm telling you, I have found
$40 items marked down to $4-$5 and now is the time to start looking for your
wee one so you can get appropriate stuff during their off season sales.
Good luck!
Brynda (mom of Jaidyn, 3, Korbin, 8 months, Kaitlin, 7)
Jan Heirtzler wrote in message ...
Shawna
and I usually come away saddened by the many pastels and the
ever-present superfluous PINK for girls. If I have a girl, I do not want
her to only wear pink, but besides the pale greens and blues, there seem
to be few alternatives other than buying boy clothes, and even those
come in a poor selection of colors. I want dark greens, browns, greys,
navy blue, deep purple... not the washed out stuff that is available. I
have a hard enough time buying women's clothes in colors I like, and so
I often buy men's T-shirts (and I wear men's boots and jackets, too,
cause they last longer when you work outside!). Mayhap my husband would
be more open to looking at baby clothing if there were a decent color
selection. As it is, he doesn't want to look until I get pregnant, and
after that I am sure he will!! But I lament the faded pastel colors, and
hope that some manufacturers will come around and realize that mayhap
parents would like MORE CHOICES!!! I don't want my babies to look gaudy
or faded, but i want the beautifu colors of nature and earth. Oh well...
-Shawna
===============================
Visit my woodburned animal portrait album at<<
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=139912&a=1343553>> Please
let me know what you think...
Also, you may see my pets at
<<http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=139912&a=1742289 >>
Debbie Churchman
Jan Heirtzler wrote in message ...
>I know this is pretty far off-topic for this group, but I am in
>despair! I would dearly love for my baby-to-be to be dressed in nice,
>bright, primary colours... not the boring blue/pink/yellow/green pastels
>that 99% of baby clothes tend to be
Hi Jan..I wish I could offer some advice...Everywhere I have looked offers
mostly the pastel's. I love bright colors for my kids too. Especially
tye-dye..which is extremely difficult to find. I find some stuff in local
thrift stores...I have learned to shop very carefully and I find a lot of
Baby B'Gosh, Lee, and other brand names in great condition..and quite a bit
of brightly colored clothing. Good luck!
Debbie
robinb
<j...@cisunix.unh.edu> wrote:
>I know this is pretty far off-topic for this group, but I am in
>despair! I would dearly love for my baby-to-be to be dressed in nice,
>bright, primary colours... not the boring blue/pink/yellow/green pastels
>that 99% of baby clothes tend to be.
<snip>
>Does *anyone* have suggestions for online stores that might stock such
>seemingly esoteric items? I can't be the only mother in the country who
>doesn't like pastels!
Jan:
No you're not! I detest pink and I have a 6 month old girl. I've
been dressing her in a lot of pants and shirts. People always think
she's a boy :).
Check out Gymboree at www.gymboree.com. Of course, the real primary
colors are in the boy's section. They also may be a little expensive
for you ... I always buy them on sale at the local mall.
Can anyone remember the name of the children's clothes where you could
match tags to make a matching outfit? Was is Granimals or something
like that? I remember they had a lot of primary colors.
Good luck! It's not a lost cause!
-- Robin
Please reply to robinb...@mailbag.com and remove "TIGGER".
Nickie
Yes, it's Garanimals. You can buy them at Wal-Mart. You can usually buy
them for like 2 for $5.
Nickie
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Devan Michael 2-14-95
Jonathan William EDD 3-14-00
http://www.geocities.com/~nickied to see my boys!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"robinb" <robinb...@mailbag.com> wrote in message
news:rZ6kOJbCv8tM9IXnexOxPz=ax...@4ax.com...
Ann Holmes
when my first child was born anyway. Sometimes I find cute things at Target
and Walmart, but the real challange is finding clothes with out STUFF on the
front. They will insist upon shirts with large ugly characters soon enough,
why put them on them when they are babies! My all time favorite cataloge is
Hanna Anderson, but it is very pricey. She has lovely quality cottons in
wonderful brights and actually just added the pastels several years ago
because there was some demand for them. Actually her pastels are beautiful
too. I have found that I often get more for my money out of one splurge on a
Hanna than all the bargin stuff. I rarely find Hanna's in thrift stores but
she does have an "atic sale" section on the website. You might check that out
and if she has any "zippers" on sale, treat yourself to one; you'll get a ton
of use out of it! And I don't think ANY of her clothes have stupid stuff on
the front.
Ann
Jan Heirtzler wrote:
> I know this is pretty far off-topic for this group, but I am in
> despair! I would dearly love for my baby-to-be to be dressed in nice,
> bright, primary colours... not the boring blue/pink/yellow/green pastels
> that 99% of baby clothes tend to be. I have looked at many places over
> the web to no avail -- even if they have bright clothes for toddlers,
> there's still nothing besides pastels for babies. My mother suggested
> Mothercare, as (when we lived in Canada) she was able to get such clothes
> for us, but they don't seem to ship to the US. As a last resort, I will
> happily dye my own clothes (along with the ones I sew), but would like to
> have a few premade things, preferably in 100% cotton as well.
>
> Does *anyone* have suggestions for online stores that might stock such
> seemingly esoteric items? I can't be the only mother in the country who
Naomi Lynne Pardue
> Try finding red and blue stuff for a baby girl! My daughter has bright red
> hair and didn't look very good in pink, so trying to find clothes for her as
> a baby was horrible!
Uhhh... why not just get the 'boy' clothes? As near as I can tell, the
ONLY difference between 'girl baby' and 'boy baby' clothes, at least in
solids, is the colors.
(I don't know about web-sites, but I'm SURE that all the basic discount
stores (Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart) have basic clothes in good, basic
primary colors. So do the catalogs. (CWD, Hannah Anderson, BioBottoms,
etc.)
Naomi
Joanna (and sometimes Doug) Kimball
> : I know this is pretty far off-topic for this group, but I am in
> : despair! I would dearly love for my baby-to-be to be dressed in nice,
> : bright, primary colours... not the boring blue/pink/yellow/green pastels
> : that 99% of baby clothes tend to be. I have looked at many places over
> : the web to no avail -- even if they have bright clothes for toddlers,
> : there's still nothing besides pastels for babies.
Try Hannaandersson.com. Most of their clothes are sized for newborns on up
in the same style- size "50" is newborn, 60 is 6-mo, 70 is 12-mo, 80 is
18-24 mo, and so on. They have a reputation for "lollipop" colored clothes.
I was just at the outlet and their summer stuff for girl babies is quite
bright and cheerful. I have lots of their clothes and they tend to fall in
the "scarlet/navy/turquoise/purple/black" range. They actually carry very
few pastels, except in their layette section, which you can easily avoid by
just looking for the clothes available in "50".
Joanna
Miriam Lewis
Jan Heirtzler <j...@cisunix.unh.edu> wrote:
> Does *anyone* have suggestions for online stores that might stock such
> seemingly esoteric items? I can't be the only mother in the country who
> doesn't like pastels! Also, the budget is a concern; while I would love
> to spend $500+ on a baby wardrobe, our finances won't allow it... so as
> darling as that $35 jumper may be, I won't be able to get it. I'm really
> looking for things under $5-10/outfit (though that may in and of itself be
> a pipe dream!).
> Many thanks in advance,
> Jan & wee one (due 24-5-2000)
Hi Jan,
I remember you from m.k.p. (you probably don't remember me though
because I mostly lurked rather than posted). My suggestion is not online
stores but garage sales, Goodwill stores, etc. Depending on the area you
live in you should never have to spend big bucks for baby clothes. You
can find well-kept and like new stuff (sometimes clothes never get worn
because the baby grows so fast) and find them in a wide variety of
styles. I'm like you, I can't stand pastels. My daughter has received
almost nothing but pink stuff as gifts and I'm thinking of dying it all
black.
P.S. There is ONE online place I know about that has great colors: Hanna
Andersson (I'm not sure of spelling but I found it by doing a search
with definitely wrong spelling). But their clothes are expensive.
Miriam
--
"Merely corroborative detail intended to give
artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald
and unconvincing narrative." --The Mikado
Amy
you). I LOVE their clothes. They are higher priced though
but this is the time of year to shop and get a bargain!
Amy
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
Penny Gaines
> Bryn <fow...@austin.rr.com> wrote:
>> Try finding red and blue stuff for a baby girl! My daughter has bright red
>> hair and didn't look very good in pink, so trying to find clothes for her as
>> a baby was horrible!
> Uhhh... why not just get the 'boy' clothes? As near as I can tell, the
> ONLY difference between 'girl baby' and 'boy baby' clothes, at least in
> solids, is the colors.
Not my experience in England when my third was on the way.
Clothing in neutral colours (eg orange and green) was
definately styled for boys or for girls. Clothing in
neutral styles were either pink, blue or white.
I know boys can wear girl things and girls can wear boy
things, but I didn't want to get new things for my baby
which looked like big-sibling-of-the-oppisite-sex's
castoffs.
I eventually found some things in a small independant
shop that sold mainly big ticket items.
Penny Gaines
Suzanne Dallapè
Ann Holmes wrote in message
<Sometimes I find cute things at Target
>and Walmart, but the real challange is finding clothes with out STUFF on
the
>front.
Oh don't I know it! You are talking about appliques, right? When Rio was
born, we got an amazingly large number of frilly boy outfits with appliques
on the front. Have you ever felt those from the inside? Itchy and chafing.
I guess the idea is to put baby in a shirt before putting on the fussy
clothes, but we were in a hot climate, so the fussy clothes got returned to
the store or put in the yard sale box! Why would anyone put a drooly,
spitty baby in a pretty, expensive out fit anyway? It is much better to
find cheap, serviceable, attractive, FUNCTIONAL clothes that will not make
you cringe when the baby poops up the back of his diaper!
--S.
JDal...@att.net
Michelle Haines
<Kar...@smugglers.alliance.org> wrote:
>Oh don't I know it! You are talking about appliques, right? When Rio was
>born, we got an amazingly large number of frilly boy outfits with appliques
>on the front. Have you ever felt those from the inside? Itchy and chafing.
Actually, my kids' grandmother makes a lot of our kids' clothes. She
loves it. She also has an embroidery machine, and when making shirts
or overalls she often puts designs on them. (She'd wanted an
embroidery machine for years, but couldn't justify the expense to
herself of the "toy" until she had grandkids to sew for. :)) I think
her's are probably softer than store-bought clothes appliques, though.
Michelle
Flutist
loriann
Bryn <fow...@austin.rr.com> wrote in message
news:RF_o4.506$aO3....@typhoon.austin.rr.com...
> Try finding red and blue stuff for a baby girl! My daughter has bright
red
> hair and didn't look very good in pink, so trying to find clothes for her
as
> a baby was horrible!
I've heard that too -- that redheads don't look good in pink. My daughter
is also a redhead and I've been dressing her in pink (every other color)
since birth and she's always looked fine to me ;-).
Honestly, reading this thread, I'm *really* surprised by the amount of time
and effort so many people put into the colors of their baby's wardrobe. I
mean, c'mon, they're only tiny for an instant, they outgrow everything so
damned quickly -- who cares if they've got a pink shirt here or there? In
two months they'll be wearing something different anyway, and *they* don't
care whether they're dressed in Dolce & Gabbana or hand-me-downs, why is it
so important? To impress other adults? Woohoo.
lori
Suzanne Dallapè
>I've heard that too -- that redheads don't look good in pink. My daughter
>is also a redhead and I've been dressing her in pink (every other color)
>since birth and she's always looked fine to me ;-).
Some redheads can look okay in pink, purple, and magenta, but most do not.
Redheads tend to look good in either "fall" colors like red, green and
brown, or bright solid colors--strong red and blue.
>Honestly, reading this thread, I'm *really* surprised by the amount of time
>and effort so many people put into the colors of their baby's wardrobe.
I don't know about anyone else, but I like to have personal say over most
things, like what my child wears. We choose our kids' hairstyles for the
first ten years or so, and we decide whether they get pierced ears, don't
we? Why not have a say in what they wear, especially if our babies don't
really look good in certain colors? Furthermore, I simply don't like the
LOOK of pastel colors. Everyone has some favorite and not-so-favorite
colors and styles. If my son ALWAYS had to wear light blue or yellow, I
would get quite tired of that!
--S.
Suzanne Dallapè
loriann
Suzanne Dallapč wrote:
>
> I don't know about anyone else, but I like to have personal say over most
> things, like what my child wears.
How old is your child? IME, once they hit a certain age (usually 3-4) they
wear what *they* like, or they give you a really hard time. My kid likes
pink frilly dresses, all frilly dresses, dresses in general with tights and
mary janes. That I think they're impractical (esp. in the dead of winter)
doesn't seem to have much effect on her. I envy parents with passive
children in this respect -- I don't know any, though.
>We choose our kids' hairstyles for the
> first ten years or so, and we decide whether they get pierced ears, don't
> we?
Ten years? Four or five *maybe* depending on the kid. Don't even get me
started on infant ear-piercing, I think it's barbaric.
>Why not have a say in what they wear, especially if our babies don't
> really look good in certain colors?
That's fine, of course, you should have a say -- I just don't get making a
*gigantic* effort to locate functional infant clothing based on nothing but
a cosmetic thing like color.
lori
Jan Heirtzler
> Honestly, reading this thread, I'm *really* surprised by the amount of time
> and effort so many people put into the colors of their baby's wardrobe. I
> mean, c'mon, they're only tiny for an instant, they outgrow everything so
> damned quickly -- who cares if they've got a pink shirt here or there? In
> two months they'll be wearing something different anyway, and *they* don't
> care whether they're dressed in Dolce & Gabbana or hand-me-downs, why is it
> so important? To impress other adults? Woohoo.
I don't care if other adults like or dislike what baby-to-be will
wear; it's totally for my (and DH's) satisfaction. I have *never* liked
pastels -- I hate looking at them unless they're in a sunset -- and since
I will be looking at my baby a good portion of the day (i.e. except when
it's dark or DH has him/her in another room, I want her/him to be dressed
in colours that I find pleasing. Given that s/he will be a summer baby, I
know June-September will be spent mostly in t-shirts and diapers alone, or
with the occasional onesie -- mostly white or "natural" coloured so
far. Those I can dye. But after September, I feel I should be prepared
for the onslaught of more layers, and baby still won't be big enough for
the toddler-sized primary-coloured stuff I have been able to find.
I know baby will quickly outgrow everything s/he wears, and that after
changing 3-4 spit-up stained outfits in a day, I will probably be happy to
have clothes to put her/him in at all. But I would rather have clothes
that I like to look at than ones that make me cringe every time I look at
the baby -- just personal preference, but I find that the colours around
me can really affect my mood, and I want to be happy when I'm with the
baby.
Jan & wee one
Jan Heirtzler
end up making 75% of what baby will wear, at least for the first 6 months
or so; most of the fabric I have already is white, "natural", or
reasonably bright colours (leftovers from fabric I used for my own
clothes). My mother mentioned that my grandmother thinks they make baby
clothes in pastels because pastels are more absorbant than bright colours
(something about the dyes) so I suppose that is a possibility. Mom also
wondered whether it might be a bad thing to have dyes (from home-dyeing)
against the baby's skin, something I hadn't considered before. Does
anyone know if there is a "hypoallergenic" dye system on the market, or is
the typical tie-dye stuff okay for babies?
Merci beaucoup,
robinb
<Kar...@smugglers.alliance.org> wrote:
>loriann wrote in message ...
<snip>
>>Honestly, reading this thread, I'm *really* surprised by the amount of time
>>and effort so many people put into the colors of their baby's wardrobe.
>
>I don't know about anyone else, but I like to have personal say over most
>things, like what my child wears. We choose our kids' hairstyles for the
>first ten years or so, and we decide whether they get pierced ears, don't
>we? Why not have a say in what they wear, especially if our babies don't
>really look good in certain colors? Furthermore, I simply don't like the
>LOOK of pastel colors.
I'm not a big fan of pastels ... or PINK! It actually took me a while
to come to grips with the fact that I was having a girl and that I
would have to deal with the color pink :(. Luckily, I knew at 10
weeks PG so I have plenty of time. Since I did I have a girl, I got
pink clothes from relatives. I thanked them warmly ... and put the
clothes away. Celia actually wears those clothes every once in a
while, but not often.
Of course, all my friends made fun of me. They tell me I'm going to
have a foofy girly girl (dresses, pink, lace, ruffles) on my hands
when she gets older. I tell them that I have a very short time in
which I can dress her to my taste (she's 6 months old). If she's
anything like me, she'll make her own wishes known pretty quick!
loriann
Jan Heirtzler wrote:
>But I would rather have clothes
> that I like to look at than ones that make me cringe every time I look at
> the baby -- just personal preference, but I find that the colours around
> me can really affect my mood, and I want to be happy when I'm with the
> baby.
>
I see what you're saying. I just didn't realize it was so common :-). I
guess seeing babies wearing pastels doesn't especially effect me (although
I'm not crazy about them, I admit) so I couldn't really relate. Thanks for
helping me understand.
Since you sew, and will be sewing so many outfits for your baby (a great
idea imo) picking out fabrics you like makes a hell of a lot more sense than
going for those you don't. If the stuff you like is as available as the
ugly stuff (as in bolts of fabric), of course you ought to choose the stuff
you like.
lori
Carolann G Lazarus
stores. K-mart, Target, Ames, etc. They had the red, bright blue, and
yellows. And usually in the cheaper items, like sweat pants and t-shirts
and stuff. I had the same problem you are having, and it is even worse
for boys, not only do they not have brights, they don't have much in
pastels outside of blue, blue and more blue. When I went shopping 6
months ago for some fall/winter things it was all dull, dull, dull - dark
greens and browns and blues. No wonder our boys are having problems, what
depressing colors! Anyway, I shop both gender sections, since the girls
will usually have the bright yellows, and the boys the bright blues and
reds. I also shopped the yard/garage sales and got some colorful things
there. Good luck
--
Carol
laz...@acsu.buffalo.edu
Alison Tooth
> I don't know about anyone else, but I like to have personal say over most
> things, like what my child wears. We choose our kids' hairstyles for the
> first ten years or so, and we decide whether they get pierced ears, don't
> we? Why not have a say in what they wear, especially if our babies don't
> really look good in certain colors? Furthermore, I simply don't like the
> LOOK of pastel colors.
Yeah, I felt the same way about pastels, but now I have 2 blond girls
who look gorgeous in them! Tilda especially suits pale blue - has to be
one of my LEAST favourite colours! - and I do dress them in pastel
colours. I figure I'd be really pissed off if someone who loved pink
made me wear it, cos it makes me look disgusting.
Alison
Suzanne Dallapè
>wear what *they* like, or they give you a really hard time.
My son is three, and yes, he dresses himself. But I, as the one deciding
what to put in his dresser drawers, have the option of buying/making things
that I like, for him to choose from. He's obviously not going to wear
Barney t-shirts if I never make them available!
>My kid likes
>pink frilly dresses, all frilly dresses, dresses in general with tights and
>mary janes. I think they're impractical
Then stop buying them. She won't wear them if she doesn't have them in her
closet.
>Ten years? Four or five *maybe* depending on the kid.
Parents get their children's hair cut in styles the parents prefer until the
child is close to teenagerism. A five-year-old comes up to mom & dad and
asks for a blue Mohawk--what are you going to say??
>Don't even get me
>started on infant ear-piercing, I think it's barbaric.
Exactly. We choose to not let our children pierce their ears until WE say
it is time.
>That's fine, of course, you should have a say -- I just don't get making a
>*gigantic* effort to locate functional infant clothing based on nothing but
>a cosmetic thing like color.
Well, I never said that color was the only factor in choosing clothing! My
son has some pastels that I got on sale or made from pastel adult shirts.
But most of our baby things are bright colors, simply because I didn't want
to get pastels.
--S.
JDal...@att.net
Suzanne Dallapè
>end up making 75% of what baby will wear, at least for the first 6 months
>or so; most of the fabric I have already is white, "natural", or
>reasonably bright colours (leftovers from fabric I used for my own
>clothes).
You will look so freakin' cute when you carry your baby around in matching
outfits! I too made a lot of my son's clothes from scraps from my own
clothes, and we looked adorable.
>Mom also
>wondered whether it might be a bad thing to have dyes (from home-dyeing)
>against the baby's skin, something I hadn't considered before. Does
>anyone know if there is a "hypoallergenic" dye system on the market, or is
>the typical tie-dye stuff okay for babies?
I am not sure, but if I were you I'd err on the side of caution and get
natural or hypo-allergenic if you can find it, even if it costs a bit more.
Or look in a craft book about making your own dyes from common plants.
--S.
JDal...@att.net
Becker-Sander
Alison Tooth wrote:
WOW can I relate to this! I used to get mad at my sister when she put her
daughter in lots of pink. Then I had a girl and finally understood why. With
our skin tones, pink just looks very very good and a lot of the bright, bold
colours (which I really like and I do find some that work) make my daughter
look sallow and almost sick. I also had to be careful about bright colours for
my son and have ended up buying a lot more "washed" out colours for him in the
end.
Laura, mama to Lorenz (4.5 yrs) and Helena (1 yr.)
Mary Ann Tuli
Becker-Sander wrote:
>
>
>
> WOW can I relate to this! I used to get mad at my sister when she put her
> daughter in lots of pink. Then I had a girl and finally understood why. With
> our skin tones, pink just looks very very good and a lot of the bright, bold
> colours (which I really like and I do find some that work) make my daughter
> look sallow and almost sick. I also had to be careful about bright colours for
> my son and have ended up buying a lot more "washed" out colours for him in the
> end.
> Laura, mama to Lorenz (4.5 yrs) and Helena (1 yr.)
Pale blue looks awful on my son (haven't tried pink), he looks
pale and wishy washy. He is very fair and looks so much nicer
in bold colours.
It does seem that plain bold coloured clothes are available
from more pricey shops (Gap, Gymboree). I wonder why that is?
Why do the more reasonably priced shops like Adams put cheap
looking logos on so many clothes and so many pockets that
as soon as they've been washed once go all stiff and yucky
(no drier).
H & M is good, but I don't know if they have that in the US.
Mary Ann
loriann
Suzanne Dallapč wrote:
> loriann wrote in message ...
> >How old is your child? IME, once they hit a certain age (usually 3-4)
they
> >wear what *they* like, or they give you a really hard time.
>
> My son is three, and yes, he dresses himself. But I, as the one deciding
> what to put in his dresser drawers, have the option of buying/making
things
> that I like, for him to choose from. He's obviously not going to wear
> Barney t-shirts if I never make them available!
What if your child *adored* Barney and everytime you brought him to the
store he begged you for a Barney shirt? Would you let your distaste for
Barney get in the way of your child's happiness and self-expression?
(I have to say, I hate Barney, and I'm really glad I've never had to deal
with this, but I feel for parents who do ;-)
> >My kid likes
> >pink frilly dresses, all frilly dresses, dresses in general with tights
and
> >mary janes. I think they're impractical
>
> Then stop buying them. She won't wear them if she doesn't have them in
her
> closet.
I'm not the only one who contributes to my daughter's wardrobe, though. My
mom is a fantastic seamstress and loves to make all those frilly dresses for
her, and even petticoats, etc, because she knows Claire loves them. And DH
likes to buy her boyish clothes with sport logos on them (which she also
likes sometimes). IOW, it's not all about *me* and what I like to see her
in. I don't feel like the issue of clothing is one that should cause
inter-family conflict, it's just not *that* important. Especially colors.
But that's us. I like purple and green and blue on Claire, Claire likes
magenta. She won't wear anything made of denim, including the jeans I
thought would be ideal for winter months. She flat won't wear them. She
takes them off. What do you do? Shouldn't children be allowed some
self-expression in terms of what they wear if it means that much to them?
> Parents get their children's hair cut in styles the parents prefer until
the
> child is close to teenagerism. A five-year-old comes up to mom & dad and
> asks for a blue Mohawk--what are you going to say??
This isn't a real issue for us since my daughter's hair lends itself to only
one style -- curly and wild, but I remember being tremendously concerned
about *my* hairstyle at age 6. My mom kept cutting my hair in pixies until
then, and I was miserable because kids would come up to me and innocently
ask me if I was a girl or boy. If my daughter decided at age 5 she didn't
want short hair, I certainly wouldn't make her, based on my experience.
Somehow I think this is a much different issue for boys and their parents
;-).
> Well, I never said that color was the only factor in choosing clothing!
My
> son has some pastels that I got on sale or made from pastel adult shirts.
> But most of our baby things are bright colors, simply because I didn't
want
> to get pastels.
And if optional colors are available, and no one's feelings get hurt, I'd do
the same thing. But what happens when someone else buys clothes for your
child? And what happens when your child is old enough to veto your choices
(if you let him)? Do you maintain that authoritarian stance over something
as trivial as color? There are so many more important things to get riled
up about, imo.
lori
Bryn
class. My son had a stomach bug and ended up throwing up all over his
outfit. Well, being the hair-brained mother that I am, I had a long-sleeved
onesie for him, but no pants. But I *did* have pants for my
daughter.....they just happened to be pink leggings. So, despite having
other plans after class, we went home so my son did not have to go around
wearing a red shirt with pink, 3 times too big, leggings on! He looked
funny, but I just couldn't take him anywhere like that!
Brynda (mom of Jaidyn, 3, Korbin, 8 months, Kaitlin, 7)
loriann wrote in message ...
>
>Bryn <fow...@austin.rr.com> wrote in message
>news:RF_o4.506$aO3....@typhoon.austin.rr.com...
>> Try finding red and blue stuff for a baby girl! My daughter has bright
>red
>> hair and didn't look very good in pink, so trying to find clothes for her
>as
>> a baby was horrible!
>
>I've heard that too -- that redheads don't look good in pink. My daughter
>is also a redhead and I've been dressing her in pink (every other color)
>since birth and she's always looked fine to me ;-).
>
>Honestly, reading this thread, I'm *really* surprised by the amount of time
>and effort so many people put into the colors of their baby's wardrobe. I
>mean, c'mon, they're only tiny for an instant, they outgrow everything so
>damned quickly -- who cares if they've got a pink shirt here or there? In
>two months they'll be wearing something different anyway, and *they* don't
>care whether they're dressed in Dolce & Gabbana or hand-me-downs, why is it
>so important? To impress other adults? Woohoo.
>
>lori
>
>
>
>
Suzanne Dallapè
>store he begged you for a Barney shirt? Would you let your distaste for
>Barney get in the way of your child's happiness and self-expression?
Of course. See, there are some things that are unpleasant but must be done.
Kids can't ALWAYS have their way, and they often get petulant when you say
no to something. That's life. Luckily, like you, I have never had that
type of experience, but if it were important to him AND YET important to me
too, then I would indeed put my foot down. Kids want candy every time they
go to the store, but we don't let them have it, right? Obviously, some
things (not giving candy at each store trip) are more important than others
(vetoing Barney), but the concept is the same--if you don't want your young
child to have something, he doesn't get it.
>I'm not the only one who contributes to my daughter's wardrobe, though. My
>mom is a fantastic seamstress and loves to make all those frilly dresses
for
>her, and even petticoats, etc, because she knows Claire loves them.
If it were important to me, I would ask that she not make things in certain
colors or styles. I would rather have functional clothes that will get a
lot of use than decorative things rotting in the closet. In fact, as a
seamstress myself, if someone told me that the clothes I was making for
their kids were not to their tastes, I would appreciate the honesty and the
opportunity to make something else that I KNOW they would like and use.
>Shouldn't children be allowed some
>self-expression in terms of what they wear if it means that much to them?
Yes. That's why I buy an assortment of things I can live with, and give him
the option of choosing among those.
>And if optional colors are available, and no one's feelings get hurt, I'd
do
>the same thing. But what happens when someone else buys clothes for your
>child?
I use them, or return them if possible. And in the future I mention that
Rio looks SO NICE in bright red or black, hoping that they will get the
hint.
>And what happens when your child is old enough to veto your choices
>(if you let him)?
There is a lot of room for variation. I would never say that my child can
only wear one of three colors, for example. I think he looks great in red,
but if he prefers yellow, he can wear yellow. I think this thread started
out about infant clothes anyway. I think most parents can come to
agreements with their older kids, or at least they don't have to agonize
over having NO choices.
>Do you maintain that authoritarian stance over something
>as trivial as color? There are so many more important things to get riled
>up about, imo.
I don't get riled up about it. It's just a matter of choice. In the same
way I calmly allow only one hour of TV, or that we cannot look at the toys
in the store today. It's not a HUGE deal, but I do have a say over certain
things, even if my son is not happy about it.
--S.
JDal...@att.net
Naomi Lynne Pardue
Jan Heirtzler <j...@cisunix.unh.edu> wrote:
> Thanks to everyone for their suggestions! Since I sew, I will probably
> end up making 75% of what baby will wear, at least for the first 6 months
> or so; most of the fabric I have already is white, "natural", or
> reasonably bright colours (leftovers from fabric I used for my own
Hmmmm.... unless you:
1. Have LOTS of time on your hands over the next few months (and
beyond...)
2. Really LOVE to sew
3. Plan on having a very small wardrobe for your baby and doing lots of
laundry...
You might reconsider this idea. Babies wear their clothes for such a short
period of time that the time required to sew them is a fairly poor
investment. Baby clothes are very cheap, and if you shop yard sales, they
are even cheaper.
Naomi
Jan Heirtzler
> Hmmmm.... unless you:
> 1. Have LOTS of time on your hands over the next few months (and
> beyond...)
> 2. Really LOVE to sew
> 3. Plan on having a very small wardrobe for your baby and doing lots of
> laundry...
Yes to 1 and 2 :) Maybe to the second half of 3, because DH is taking
care of the laundry ;)
> You might reconsider this idea. Babies wear their clothes for such a short
> period of time that the time required to sew them is a fairly poor
> investment. Baby clothes are very cheap, and if you shop yard sales, they
> are even cheaper.
We'll be at some yard sales for sure, though with so many relatives, we
may not need to :) I have patterns for clothes that are very simple; I
expect most of them will take less than 15 minutes/outfit once they are
cut out (and I will be cutting multiple copies at once) since they are so
small and basic (stuff like t-shirts and "sweatpants" -- even in my large
size, they only take 30 minutes or so, and a lot of that is pinning).
Plus, since baby is due at the end of May, I picture him/her spending a
lot of time in just a little t-shirt and a diaper, as it gets rather
uncomfortably warm here in the summer (at least for my Alberta-born
tastes). But we'll see, once I've made a few things, how gung-ho I am
about keeping it up :)
Jan & naked wee one :) (EDD 5-24-2000)
Bruce and Jeanne
either 1) playing/nursing/being with your baby, 2) napping when your
baby is napping, 3) out on a date with your DH, and 4) did I mention
napping?
I come from a family of sewers and so far, my cousin and I have passed
back and forth a simple already cut out material for a 12 month old
size jumper for three babies now!
I was able to sew maternity clothes and baby clothes for my sister (I
was single and childless at the time), but since my own child was
born, I've only been able to sew up crib bumpers, a quilt, halloween
costumes (by staying up way past my bedtime on October 30th), and a
simple quilted window covering for her room. And because I have an
hour commute to work, I was also able to knit a dress.
We've gotten most of our baby clothes from friends, relatives (my
sister), yard sales and consignment shops. In many cases, yard sales
and consignment shops are actually cheaper than sewing your own.
Good luck
Jeanne
Jan Heirtzler
> Not to discourage you but Naomi is right. Time will be better spent
> either 1) playing/nursing/being with your baby, 2) napping when your
> baby is napping, 3) out on a date with your DH, and 4) did I mention
> napping?
That would be why I'm starting now, as I still have 3.5 months to go
before I'm due :) And since we will be attachment parenting, I expect to
be able to spend time with the baby no matter what I'm doing (or so I've
read, in regard to slings). But we'll see ;)
Jan & wee one
Naomi Lynne Pardue
Shaina found the sound of the sewing machine to be utterly terrifying...
Naomi
Jan Heirtzler
> Shaina found the sound of the sewing machine to be utterly terrifying...
Oh, no... you had to tell me that, eh? :) I guess it will be an
interesting experiment to see if sounds heard before birth are less scary
than those that start up after? I will be lost if I can't sew when the
wee one arrives!
Jan & wee one
Suzanne Dallapè
>Hmmmm.... unless you:
>1. Have LOTS of time on your hands over the next few months (and
>beyond...)
>2. Really LOVE to sew
>3. Plan on having a very small wardrobe for your baby and doing lots of
>laundry...
As someone who has done it, I can say that when you stack two or three
similarly-colored fabrics and cut all pattern pieces at once, and use the
same color thread, and sew them up "assembly-line," it is possible to make a
lot of clothes in a very short time. You can make five baby shirts in a few
hours if you are good at sewing. This works with adult clothes as well.
And Jan still has a few months to go before her baby is born, so that should
give her plenty of time to sew up a big wardrobe for the next two or three
years.
--S.
JDal...@att.net
djkimball
shirt that cheap (or one that someone was willing to let go in a
yard sale instead of keeping or lending to relatives) would not
be in a fabric I'd want on my baby. One enormous advantage of
sewing is that I can go out and get those wonderful thick
cottons, even organic ones, and sew the seams so I know nothing's
rubbing them, and either choose the color or dye myself. By the
way, some organic clothing companies sell yardage- I know Natural
Baby Company used to, and there are some others on the web.
Another suggestion- go to outlet stores (Baby Gap, etc) and get
stuff in glorious fabric and UGLY colors and then dye them a
darker or brighter color. I've done that with various jumpers-
most of them pink (a color which I hate and looks awful on my
very pale daughters). I dye most of them indigo or slate, and
they wash to a gentle blue-grey that would be appropriate for
either boy or girl.
I know that everyone has a different philosphy on baby clothes.
For me, quality really counts. I want clothes that feel nice on
the skin, don't rub or chafe, don't pill or pull, and can be
washed over and over. We're planning on having a large family,
and I want the last baby to look as nice as the first (well,
actually, we were REALLY poor when we had her, so it's look as
good as the second :-)
Joanna
Meriwether 3/2/97
Honour 10/15/98
P.S. A sore spot- "self-expression" isn't insisting that you buy
them the clothes they want- that's "self-ish-ness." My mom, who
raised 8 kids, said that until the age of 10 kids get ZERO input
as to which clothes are provided for them. After we started
earning money washing windows and babysitting, we could choose a
few things during the yearly shopping. As of age 16, we were on
our own- aside from underwear, Christmas, and birthdays, we were
expected to buy our own clothes with our own money- but they had
to conform to the family standards of modesty and neatness (no
bare midriffs, t-shirts with objectionable slogans, etc). If I
want my kids to self-express, I'll teach
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
Suzanne Dallapè
>fabric all at the same time.
Oh my goodness, scissors are the main thing. You HAVE to have sharp
scissors! Most regular seamstresses get their scissors sharpened after
every three or so projects; otherwise they are worthless. Luckily, a lot of
sewing stores offer free sharpening.
>My feeling was just that, while I can't speak
>for Jan, MY time is valuable. And if I can BUY a shirt for $2 new (and
>could probably buy it for 25 cents at a garage sale if I were so moved),
>it really isn't worth the time and effort to sew one ...
Yeah, I always went to thrift stores first, and got most of Rio's early
clothes there. But some of us have little better to do (prior to our
babies' births, that is) than to sew clothes. It does depend on the
situation. If you work and/or have an active social life, then sewing may
not be the best option. But if, like me, you are living in the middle of
nowhere with no friends or neighbors or job, with two TV channels, where it
is 120 degrees outside, then saving a bundle by making your own baby clothes
seems like a really good idea! My money has always been more valuable than
my time, since I have so much of the latter. Maybe Jan is the same way.
Certainly, if you are in a poor financial situation, it would make more
sense to save money by spending extra time. It definitely depends on the
individual.
--S.
JDal...@att.net
Penny Gaines
Elizabeth Lee, the company that makes patterns for nursing
clothes, has a description of how to make five nursing tops
in a day (plus cutting out the day before).
In fact, if you really want to save money on making clothes,
make nursing clothes and buy baby clothes! Nursing clothes
are pricy, and I've never seen any second-hand.
FWIW, old baby care books suggest making baby clothes
from old adult clothes - eg using Father's woolen vests,
grown soft through washing, to make baby's vests.
Penny Gaines
firmly in the buy baby-clothes camp...
Angela
"Penny Gaines" <pe...@gaines.net> wrote in message
> In fact, if you really want to save money on making clothes,
> make nursing clothes and buy baby clothes! Nursing clothes
> are pricy, and I've never seen any second-hand.
I find LOTS of second-hand nursing shirts and dresses. I recently auctioned
a Motherwear nursing dress for $38, which I bought for $5 at Value Village.
I found two nursing shirts today at St. Vincent de Paul's. You just have to
look, and keep looking. But don't bother with Salvation Army- they don't
separate maternity/nursing clothes from other women's clothes, and you'll
spend all your time leafing shirt-by-shirt through the racks.
Or, *cough*, write to me and I'll make you a deal on shirts as I find them.
I don't gouge on price, and it'll still be a lot cheaper than buying new. ;)
--angela
Suzanne Dallapè
>FWIW, old baby care books suggest making baby clothes
>from old adult clothes - eg using Father's woolen vests,
>grown soft through washing, to make baby's vests.
Yep, Rio has about eight sweat shirts that were once mine! I even used the
ribbing!
--S.
JDal...@att.net
loriann
H Schinske wrote:
>
> E'r'h'rm. Not so, if you live in a populated area with a lot of yard
sales. I
> have gotten *terrific* stuff at yard sales. Not everyone has a lot of
friends
> and relatives with just the right age kids to give stuff to.
...and not everyone has the time and energy to have a yard sale :-). I gave
some really good stuff away to the Goodwill, etc. just to get rid of it when
we moved. Helen's right, you can get very high quality, barely-used stuff
at yard sales if you take the time to look. The best tactic, ime, is to
try the yard sales in the nicer parts of town.
lori
Suzanne Dallapè
>In terms of the $2/25-cent shirt, you're right, except that a
>shirt that cheap (or one that someone was willing to let go in a
>yard sale instead of keeping or lending to relatives) would not
>be in a fabric I'd want on my baby.
Maybe, maybe not. Since baby clothes get used for just a few months before
they get retired, some things are still in almost-new condition when they go
to the Goodwill box or yard sale table.
It always amuses me when people assume that every single second-hand item
is in disgusting condition. Many things have barely even been worn! (I
have sold--and bought--things at yard sales that still have the tags on
them!) And while some people will let their children wear anything, most of
us have a certain standard that we will not dip below--for me, there cannot
be any stains or rips. There is such an abundance of second-hand stuff at
places like Salvation Army that it is usually really easy to skip the more
used-looking things.
--S.
JDal...@att.net
Kanga C.
>>shirt that cheap (or one that someone was willing to let go in a
>>yard sale instead of keeping or lending to relatives) would not
>>be in a fabric I'd want on my baby.
That has not been what I've found at all. It has been my frequent experience
that when I tell people we buy *all* our clothes used (except socks and
underwear), they reply, "except for what you're all wearing right now."
Meaning, they can't believe the nice clothes we have on were used.
I am amazed at the stuff people are perfectly willing to let go at yard sales.
Not everybody keeps everything they have ever dressed their baby in, and not
everybody has relatives with babies younger than their own.
I just bought the four younger girls (we have six girls, one boy) dresses for
.99 at a used kids clothing store that is going out of business. They wore
them to church yesterday, where they got rave reviews of their beautiful 'new'
dresses. I could have gotten some for the two teens, too, but they tell me
they don't need anymore new clothes.
I don't buy torn clothes, and I don't dress my kids with advertisements for
products. I sometimes will buy a stained outfit if it's really cute and really
cheap, because I can get most stains out beautifully soaking them in water,
Cascade dishwasher soap and Borax. If the stain doesn't come out, we have a
new dustcloth.
I also prefer 100 percent cotton for babies, and I have very little trouble
finding clothes for my babies. In fact, my son right now has too many clothes.
Periodically, we pack them up and give them away to goodwill or a group that
collects for a blind charity or the local alternative high school, where teen
mothers can use them for their babies.
Blessings,
Kanga
If one child takes up all your time, then seven can't take anymore. Adapted
from Elizabeth Eliot's mother